Brush With Death

Twenty-eight days ago, in an honest effort to eat fewer animals, I bought a single-serving packet of vegan curry soup mix. Checked the expiration date, of course.

Made it myself.

Just add water.

My very first vegan meal. It was a small bowl. I followed it with a divine box of Junior Mints.

Hours after eating it (read: “Too Late for Stomach Pump”), I was rolling around on my back feeling like I was being stabbed with large shards of window glass.

Later, I learned that The Guilty Curry Pack had been recalled in December 2016. Ninety-eight per cent of the product had been removed from the shelves. Contaminated.... AND full of lead, due to a factory accident. American company, made and distributed in the USA. The company of origin did everything it possibly could to keep anyone from getting hurt.

They missed a few packets.

It took three weeks before my doctors hit on the meds and intestinal-flora-restorers that could make me feel any better. This last week, finally, I am staggering toward resuming some of the easier activities of my life.

Don't worry-- I'll skip the grisly details.

Some things I learned-- because the only reason to HAVE a really foul experience is to learn from it...

A LOT of people out there have lived through severe food poisoning. All gave me the same comfort: mostly, all you can do is ride it out.

Several told me that the smell of whatever poisoned them permeated their clothes,bedclothes,
walls, woodwork, carpeting, and everything in their closets. A nurse told me that three years
after HER brush with death, she'd still smell Evil Chicken Marsala when she opened a closet, a
drawer, a box of holiday ornaments.

For me, EVERYTHING smells like Evil Curry. The slightest whiff gags me. Curdles my soul.
CRINGE-WORTHY. Unthinkable!
Four weeks and almost-daily airings out of the house later. I had to donate all my clothes
that were that shade of reddish-orange.
Remember, this has been a very wet, cold, breezy month I fear the utility bill!

Anything minty, including tea, soothes the digestive tract.

Always keep a pack of adult diapers on hand.

When your dog(s) start showing extreme concern, it's time to insist on an increased level of medical intervention. Whining on the phone describing your discomfort and asking
if you can see the doctor and being told to use more OTC medications gets no respect.